


Smoke and Mirrors

by Daphnean



Series: Soo Saptember [22]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Office, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 04:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16055507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daphnean/pseuds/Daphnean
Summary: Baekhyun can’t take another lunch with his busybody coworker. Concocting a clever plan, things come together in ways he never expected.





	Smoke and Mirrors

Martha finally excused herself to use the restroom, so Baekhyun could release the smile he’d been propping up since lunch started. Deflating, he looked at the remaining half of his sandwich and chips with disdain. At this point he wasn’t even hungry, as his coworker had spent most of her meal with a bit of spinach right between her teeth, chewing with her mouth open, and goading Baekhyun into more conversation every time he tried to wriggle out of it.

Naturally charismatic, Baekhyun hadn’t thought twice about introducing himself to everyone on the writer’s floor once he was hired on. No one had thought to warn him that Martha was a conversational leech. One smile and a polite laugh at her jokes and she’d honed in on him, believing they were friends.

At first it had been charming, Baekhyun always had a way with older women thanks to spending a great deal of his childhood with his grandmother, but it quickly impeded him enjoying his work. The other writers would try to chat him up, ask him how his articles were going, and Martha would buzz over, often with a quip about something she’d read in her inbox, almost jealous that people wanted to spend time with him. She wrote the website’s horoscope page, and with how little he saw her writing, Baekhyun was half convinced she just threw shit together at the last minute to see what stuck.

He’d commiserated to Chanyeol, who while sympathetic, had no practical advice. Everyone else had just passed her off to the next guy in line, but there wasn’t even an intern for Baekhyun to hoist the burden of Martha onto, and with the budget cuts from last quarter, it likely would be months till he had that chance. A job he loved, doing work he loved, had to come with a downside, but at this point it was actively making Baekhyun dread coming to work.

It didn’t help Martha had recently discovered he was single and was now prodding him with the suggestion she’d invite her granddaughters into the office to meet with him sometime. He’d seen so many ducklips in the pictures the older woman shoved under his nose, their spray orange tans reminding him of oompa loompas.

Frustrated, Baekhyun gathered the remains of his lunch and shoved it into his lunchbox, storming down the back stairwell and onto the small landing behind the building. Usually the smokers were the only ones out this time of day, but with the heavy rain, he was alone.

Bottoms of his pants soggy and his sandwich tasting like damp napkins in his mouth, Baekhyun knew he would have to take matters into his own hands.

–

Martha never stayed late, always heading out as soon as the office clock hit five, so he had started to stay late to accomplish any of his work. Today was no different, even if his hair felt too frizzy and uncomfortable from the humidity outside. Engrossed in trying to finish up his second article for the next issue, he barely caught movement outside of his cubicle from the corner of his vision.

“I thought I was the only one left.” Kyungsoo had a mug in his hand, steaming. His soft rose dress shirt was unbuttoned near the top, his gray slacks still looking sharp even if he’d worked all day. Baekhyun was envious, even if he knew the editor hadn’t been fighting a nosy old woman like he had, so he’d gotten off easy. “Are you going to get that first piece to me by tomorrow?”

Baekhyun leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his temples. “Yeah...I’m gonna try, at least. Sorry. I know I’ve been behind more than usual.”

“I’m used to Baekhyun time.” Kyungsoo angled his hip to rest against the cubicle entrance, tilting his head. “Are you okay?”

Even though he knew Kyungsoo was all pillow stuffing deep down, it still warmed him whenever the other man softened with his words too; when his brows would knit with sincere concern. Baekhyun gave him a tired smile. “Martha.”

Hissing as if words stung, Kyungsoo nursed at his tea (Baekhyun was a bit nosy and found the box in the break room cabinet; honey-chamomile). “She latched onto you? And you’ve not told her off yet?”

“Look, I’m mouthy, but it isn’t as if she’s inherently trying to be a human barnacle. I don’t like...making waves like that. I’m a people pleaser and, annoying or not, she still is a person. Plus it feels like she’s lonely, like this is the highlight of her life socially.” Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair, still simmering even if the woman was long gone from the building. “I had lunch huddling under the awning out back, sandwich melting, just to get a moment of peace.” 

“She never tried that with me.” Kyungsoo lowered his mug with contemplation. “Wonder why?”

Baekhyun snorted. “Yeah, yeah. We can’t all have the Stare of Death.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “How can I hear the capitalization on that? I know I have resting bitchface and it normally is terrible, people assuming an I’m asshole. Guess I finally found the perk.”

“Lucky you.” Baekhyun stewed in his misery, grabbing his energy drink for a swig. “She’s now trying to shove her granddaughters at me. I already hated being single, but this is the cherry on top of the shit sundae that is my life right now.”

Kyungsoo hummed in acknowledgment, taking another sip from his tea. “You could lie and say you’re seeing someone?”

It was as if Kyungsoo had reached straight into his head and tugged the lightstring, bringing his creativity to life. Baekhyun stood in a rush, slamming his can onto the desk (luckily, it was now empty). “That’s it! Kyungsoo, you’re a genius. Be my fake boyfriend!”

Blinking, the other man’s brows knit as he processed the exclamation. “You want to fake date me to get Martha off your back?” 

“It’s foolproof! If I’m dating you then she’ll be intimidated. If I sit with you at lunch she won’t intrude. Kyungsoo, you’d give me my life back.” Baekhyun stepped forward, taking Kyungsoo’s free hand. “I’ll give you my puppy’s first child and always turn my articles in on time from now on. Work has been making me miserable and I haven’t even gotten to hang out with Chanyeol or Jongdae or Sehun because of the Martha shaped shadow on my back. Please, please, pl-”

“Okay.” Kyungsoo’s smile was almost too calm, in comparison to Baekhyun’s dramatic spiraling. “We’ll start tomorrow.”

It was Baekhyun’s turn to blink in surprise. “That’s it? No groveling? No telling me this is a stupid idea or telling me to pick someone else?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “It actually make sense to choose me, not just because of my face, but because she knows all of the gossip. Chanyeol and Jongdae are dating each other and Sehun’s dating Jongin in marketing. I’m single and gay and we’ve interacted a lot so I’m not a stranger. And you don’t have to bribe me. I’ll do it because no one should hate the job they love.”

Baekhyun pulled the younger man into the tightest hug he could, careful of the mug. “Thank you. God, I owe you anyways.”

There was a gentle pat to his back and Kyungsoo chuckled, Baekhyun hearing it vibrate in his own chest. “I should let you get back to work. We both want to get home sometime soon, yeah?”

“Right.” Baekhyun pulled back. “So tomorrow...wait, what do we-”

“Leave it up to me.” Kyungsoo started walking towards his office. “Have a nice night, darling.”

Fake pet names or not, Baekhyun’s heard skidded against his ribs. Deciding not to think on it for the moment, he fell back down into his chair, working with renewed vigor. Hope was a hell of a muse.

–

Baekhyun was leaving his future at EXO with Kyungsoo, so to say the next morning had him nervous would be an understatement. This time in the morning he usually had the jitters because of caffeine, but today he didn’t need it to feel the same uptempo swing in his pulse.

Before he even made it to his desk, Martha was waiting on him. Dread doused the hope starting to flicker in him, until he realized she wasn’t looking towards him, but instead was one of a few people gathered around his cubicle. 

“Baekie.” Martha cooed as he arrived. “You’ve just got to tell me who got you such a lovely arrangement.”

Able to slip past the older woman and his coworkers, he saw just exactly what Martha had been inquiring about once he moved towards his desk. There beside his computer and Pikachu pencil holder was a clear vase full of flowers. The bouquet had daffodils, camellia, roses, and daisies. It was a dash of sunshine on his desk, the tiny card with his name in fluid, pretty handwriting.

Smile coming naturally across his face, he took the card and read the inscription:

_Yesterday the storms had you blue, so let me give you a smile to take home with you._

_Always yours,_

_Soo_

He could feel Martha swoop behind him, reading over his shoulder. “You have a boyfriend, Baekie? I thought you told me you were single.”

“Kyungsoo wanted to keep things private until we were sure.” Baekhyun took a step to the side, smiling at her and then the others around the cubicle.

Chanyeol gaped. “Kyungsoo? As in “Chanyeol if you turn your article in one minute before midnight one more time I’ll strangle you with that singing tie you bought me last Christmas” Kyungsoo?” 

“The very same.” Baekhyun laughed; a little giddy from the gesture. Kyungsoo had been so clever. Nosy Martha would have been sure to snoop around his desk and spot the flowers, so it saved him the trouble of working the relationship into the conversation. “What can I say? Everyone succumbs to the Baekhyun charms eventually.”

Jongdae snorted. “If you won over Kyungsoo, I might be inclined to believe you.”

Martha was already going back to her desk, probably telling her granddaughters he was off the market. Baekhyun glowed with delight as he leaned over to smell the roses, literally. “He even got my favorites...I didn’t realize I’d told him.”

“I want details, Byun.” Jongdae called back as he headed over to his own cubicle, Chanyeol doing the same, but not before sneaking a quick kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.

The morning went by smoothly, for the first hour, as Baekhyun began to work with renewed gusto. When he’d struggle with a segment, he’d drift into staring along his cubicle, the flowers a little pick me up just as Kyungsoo had intended.

Martha, not to be detoured that easily, was already back at his desk soon after, likely after refilling her coffee. “So tell me a little about that Kyungsoo? I worry, Baekie. He’s not always the friendliest and you’re so soft.”

“He’s been an absolute gentleman, if the flowers didn’t give that away.” Baekhyun turned on the charms, leaning down to sniff at the bouquet once more. “We’ve had a lot of time to talk when I stayed back late and then he started offering to drive me home, since I’m not far away.”

“It was the day we both stopped for dinner at Reggie’s before I dropped you off.” Kyungsoo had appeared, almost out of nowhere, leaning against the side of the cubicle, chin propped on his hands as he peered over it. “You had ketchup on the side of your mouth and when I teased you about it you told me to kiss it off.”

Not missing a beat, Baekhyun laughed. “I didn’t think you actually would!” 

“You didn’t complain.” Kyungsoo countered, giving Martha a smile. “Could you look over Scorpio’s piece for me when you get the chance. I think the ending needs a bit of work. The tenses don’t match at all.”

Wind stolen from her kite, Martha merely gave Baekhyun a pat to the cheek. “You deserve a little spoiling, dear. Just let me know if he’s too rough. Clara really did want to meet you.”

As soon as Martha was back across the floor, Kyungsoo gave Baekhyun a quick grin, before heading off to the break room.

Kyungsoo may not have said he needed compensation, but at this point Baekhyun was heavily considering giving him a kidney in thanks for all of his hard work. He’d had no clue that his coworker was this charming and funny, from their brief interactions before.

His smile didn’t fade, even as the day began to dwindle towards the dreaded lunch hour.

Even still, old habits died hard (especially when held by an old woman), which meant Martha was at the mouth of his cubicle right as the clock struck noon. “Ready for lunch, Baekie? I can tell you all about the auction I went to this past weekend.”

Baekhyun knew all about the sale. Martha had told him yesterday and her new purse still smelled of mothballs despite the purchase being almost a week ago. Still, he put on his best smile, the one she still believed to be sincere. “Sure.” 

Once in the breakroom, Baekhyun, as usual, was avoided. Jongdae and Chanyeol both gave him sympathetic glances as they scurried over to their table. Martha was already talking about the woman sitting next to her at the auction who had a dog in her purse and Baekhyun was just trying to drown her out as he moved in front of the vending machine. 

“Hey, babe.” A hand slid along his lower back, an intimate gesture, as Kyungsoo moved beside him. Baekhyun briefly startled, but he recovered quickly enough no one likely noticed. “What were you gonna get today?” 

“A sprite.” Baekhyun relaxed, bumping their hips. “You want one?”

Kyungsoo tilted his head, lips pursed in thought. “Yeah, grab me one. I got lunch covered, so come sit with me.”

It was as if his heart was pumped full of helium, as Martha trailed off to watch them. “You spoil me.”

“Don’t act like you don’t like it.” Kyungsoo had a couple of bags looped over his elbows, moving over to the table he normally frequented in the corner.

Baekhyun gave Martha a sympathetic glance back. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, no.” While it was easy to see that the woman wasn’t happy with his new arrangement, white brows meeting on her face, she still shooed him off towards Kyungsoo. “Good to see he isn’t such a grump all the time.”

Across the way, Kyungsoo was setting out quite a spread by the time Baekhyun arrived. Salads, sandwiches, and even some chocolate cake for dessert. “This is better than I eat like...ninety percent of the time.”

“I’m not even surprised.” Kyungsoo tugged him down to sit beside him. “I made the cake myself.”

Settling in, Baekhyun grabbed a fork, taking a bite of cake first like the little rebel he was. “Oh. Oh that’s smooth.”

Kyungsoo’s cheeks went a delightful pink, as he began on his salad. “Vegetables first.”

“Yes, mom.” Baekhyun grumbled, but he was still smiling as he tugged the other bowl towards himself.

It was the first lunch in weeks he’d enjoyed so much he forgot to watch the clock. By the end of it, Jongdae and Chanyeol had come over, sharing a few of their cookies in exchange for a bit of Kyungsoo’s cake. As normally Kyungsoo was separate from them, working in the editor’s room, Baekhyun was relieved that they all seemed to have such a good time together, Chanyeol inviting them both to come over one weekend for a movie night, especially once Kyungsoo admitted he’d never seen Star Wars.

Baekhyun returned to work with a spark of creativity at the tips of his fingers, writing the best work he’d composed in weeks. Martha passed by twice more, only giving him a brief little wave in passing, quipping that “Kyungsoo looks good on you.” 

By the time he was headed out to the bus stop, Baekhyun was certain that Martha had found herself someone new to talk to, probably already out to fill the Baekhyun-shaped gap in her life. She’d been oddly missing from her desk after lunch and he thought he saw her chatting up one of the older ladies from the mailroom when they were in the elevator together.

Kyungsoo was gorgeous, even when he was breathing down his neck about deadlines, but the idea of dating him wasn’t hardly something Baekhyun had even toyed with until today. Their interactions had always been fine enough, but seeing just how playful Kyungsoo could be when he teased, how sincere he was as he listened and considered whatever was being discussed, had really turned Baekhyun’s feelings inside out. 

Baekhyun had expected a lot of disastrous outcomes, when he got the idea to fake date his coworker, actually being jealous of his fake relationship hadn’t been one of them.

His thoughts had been drifting when he saw a car pull up to the curb, the window rolling down to reveal Kyungsoo’s smiling face. “Sorry I’m late. I had to run some things by Joonmyun.”

“Oh.” Surprised, Baekhyun shifted his backpack slightly. “You...yeah, thanks.”

Walking around and slipping inside, he put his backpack on his lap. “I...you...”

“So where do you live now?” Kyungsoo put the car back in drive, hitting the right lane once Baekhyun muttered out his address. “I saw Martha was in the mailroom earlier. With Denise, I think.”

“I think she’s sold on it, even after just one day. Problem is so are Jongdae and Chanyeol.” Baekhyun wriggled back against the seat, closing his eyes. “I’d forgotten how nice having a boyfriend could be, fake or not.”

Kyungsoo hummed. “It still amazes me that you’re single, with all that charisma.”

“I...” Baekhyun turned his head, opening his eyes to watch him. “Says the man with the flowers and homemade cake?! I mean, I know I said we were gonna do this, but...I didn’t expect such dedication to the cause. You’re driving me home, for God’s sake. How is she gonna check that you did that?”

With a chuckle, Kyungsoo kept his eyes on the road, only sparing a glance over at the stoplights. “Maybe I just wanted you to get an idea of what dating me might actually be like, so that when I asked you, you wouldn’t think I was all talk and no action.”

Baekhyun knew he had to gaping so wide he could swallow a tennis ball. “I...what? I think my hearing went out because I swore I just heard you imply...”

“That I’d like to make this more than just pretend?” Kyungsoo pulled up to Reggie’s, the diner from their first “date” story, parking just outside and turning to face him. “You weren’t wrong about your charms. I was a little put-off by you asking me to be your fake boyfriend, but then I saw a golden opportunity...if you want it, of course. I can also take you home, if fake is all you want this to be.”

Baekhyun licked his lip, smiling wider than he had all day, brighter than the sun crowning the horizon. “I can’t promise I won’t be a messy eater, so that you’ll have to kiss that ketchup off of me.”

That heart-shaped smile was a sight he could get used to seeing more often, especially directed his way. “Consider it a down payment. There’ll be more where that came from.”

Baekhyun certainly hoped so, stepping out and linking his arm with Kyungsoo’s.

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't exactly what I would like to do with this concept, especially with how quickly I have to throw these fics together, but I am still proud of how this turned out. It was a different, smaller take, on the fun concept of fake dating. BaekSoo are just a delight every time I write them; each piece a new way to fall in love with them.
> 
> No offense to anyone named Martha! I just had to have a name. 
> 
> EXO and all other Kpop entertainers presented here are real people and so I remind you that this is just a fic, like a play with their stage personas as the actors. This is not intended to be a representation of who these men and women are or are not. Remember to love and respect them always. And thanks for reading! <3


End file.
